Investment in Indian Football climbs tenfold
INVESTMENT in Indian football has increased tenfold in the last decade, asserted All India Football Federation general secretary Kushal Das on Friday and reckoned it will be the country’s sport of choice in coming years.
The top AIFF office-bearer also said one of its major goals in the near future is to develop the women’s game in a big way.
When Das joined the AIFF in 2010, the federation was struggling financially with its then commercial partners Zee Sports calling off the association abruptly.
‘The investment in Indian football since 2010 has probably increased tenfold. The infrastructure, media support including broadcasting has grown significantly,’ Das told.
‘Football is in real terms a global sport and with India’s demography and the globalisation, it is a natural fallout that football will be the sport of choice in India. With the advent of the IWL and national team striker N Bala Devi’s foray into top Scottish club Rangers, women’s football has started to gain traction in recent times’.
Das is optimistic about more progress in the future.’
‘We want to develop women’s football in a big way too and while we are in the process of creating a robust domestic structure, we believe that hosting international events like the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will give a big boost to women’s football in India.’
India is hosting the next Women’s U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2022, a tournament the country was supposed to hold last year but was postponed and then cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The AIFF recently appointed former India player Abhishek Yadav as its first deputy general secretary, and Das is confident that he would live to the expectations.
‘Abhishek Yadav has been working closely with AIFF right from the days of the U-17 World Cup and later on moved to the role of the national team director. It was time for him to move on to a larger role.’
‘But as you correctly mentioned for a player to take on an important administrative role, it is critical he has the necessary experience, skill and knowledge to do justice. Fortunately for the AIFF, Abhishek has demonstrated very capably the requisite skills,’ the general secretary said.